If at First You Don't Succeed
by Mushraluvr
Summary: Try, Try again! Mushra has finally accepted the fact that he had ignored until now. Having lost a certain air of cheerfulness, what happens when he decides to try once more? It can't hurt any worse, Right? Dedicated to Airiko-the-Angel13 for her B-day.
1. Let's Have Some Fun

**Happy Birthday, Airiko! I really appreciated the picture you drew for me for mine, yesterday. It made me smile. I know I couldn't draw something near as good, so I'm writing you a story! **

**I thought of the plot all day in school so I just need to write it. Happy, sixteenth! I hope it's a good one.**

**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING whatsoever in this story, except the plot of course.**

If at First You Don't Succeed

Dedicated to "Airiko-the-Angel13"

"Oh, look!" Binka pointed to the brightly-colored flyer that had been taped inside a store window. "There's a party!"

The group had stopped in a bustling town to stay the night at an inn. They finally found an inn with vacancy after searching for what seemed like hours. It was hard enough just to get through the crowd without losing one another.

"Is that what all the commotion's about?" Mushra looked around to the crowded streets and stores as he spoke.

Skimming through the flyer, Yakumo read aloud

"Be there when the only daughter of the prestigious Ayumu family's only daughter moves to adulthood. Don't miss this once in a lifetime event that is being hosted by the Ayumu family.

It will be a huge dance, by request of the lady of the night. Be prepared to have fun. We hope to see you there!"

"It sounds like fun!" Esty jumped up and down excitedly.

"Do you think we should go?" Saago asked, with a questioning gaze toward Yakumo.

She considered this thought for a moment with a thoughtful expression, before answering with a smile, "Of course. I think it'd be good to have some fun."

Everyone but Mushra cheered with glee. He just watched them with a sad smile.

"_Too bad,"_ He thought to himself glumly, _"Not so long ago, I'd be jumping with joy. I'd believe I could work up the nerve to ask Yakumo to the dance." _With a small smile he added, _"As if I could even dance with her without tripping over my feet."_

He thought back to a few weeks ago.

_The blade slashed through the last general, Kimylus, with ease. The dark shadow of flesh and cloth evaporated into an Encard. It spun slowly in the air for a moment before it began to drift toward the ground. _

_Mushrambo caught it between his fingers. He turned an about-face and headed toward where Yakumo and the children had taken shelter. Yakumo jumped up with a smile and ran toward him. She was caught in his embrace as she wrapped her own arms around him._

"_You did it! The last general is finally gone! We can continue to Shinzo without their interference! Thank you!"_

_Inside Mushrambo's shared mind, Mushra grinned with glee. They were so much closer to Shinzo and he helped. She was so happy with him._

"_No need to thank me, Yakumo. I only wanted to protect you, the one I love." For a moment, Mushra had a weird feeling for a moment that those weren't his words, but he pushed it aside._

"_And you have, this entire time." She smiled and looked up into his eyes. Her blue eyes shone with love and happiness. "I love you, too."_

_Without warning, the realization hit Mushra like a ton of bricks. The man who shone in her eyes was only amethyst-haired swordsman. Not even a hint of his own self appeared in those crystal pools._

_Without his consent, his body –No, Mushrambo's body- leaned down and kissed Yakumo gently on her lips. He stared out from his mind, shocked and stunned –an outsider, watching from the prison of his own rival's body._

_That day Mushra finally accepted something her never wanted to think about. Yakumo loved Mushrambo. Not him. He wasn't -and would never be- Mushrambo, just a one of the medians for his body. The woman he loved, the woman he almost gave his life for multiple times just to see her smile, didn't love him back._

"Mushra? MUSHRA!"

Startled, Mushra snapped back to reality. Binka quit snapping her fingers in front of his face when he looked at her. Everyone was looking at him apprehensively.

"Eeh?" He had been completely wrapped up in his memory and was lost as too where the conversation had been. "Wh- I mean: Repeat the question."

"I said, Aren't you excited about the party?"

"Oh. Yeah, sounds like fun."

**I'm doing this in chapters so at least part of it is read before tomorrow. This would have been a scene change if I put it all together. Next chapter **


	2. 7:20 The Party's Started

**7:20 – 5 minutes after the part officially starts**

"This place is packed!" Kutall exclaimed, looking around at the large room teeming with Enterrans.

He, Mushra, Saago, and the twins had walked in through the guys' entrance. For the night, they were able to get some nice clothes for a discount. Kutall found himself a large black tux and tie to fit him and chose a pair of black shoes. Saago and Mushra had gotten two light blue tuxes for themselves. Rei and Sen had a pair of white tuxes. Everyone had a red rose in his chest pocket.

"Will we be able to find the girls?" Saago asked, searching through the throng of partygoers.

"Over here!" They turned to the voice of Binka, who stood with Yakumo and Esty at the snack table.

"Isn't this huge?!" She exclaimed when the boys had reached the snack table. She wore red princess-like dress that came down to her shin. She wore a pair of red slippers and elbow-length red gloves.

"The family must be very rich and popular to have this many people." Yakumo thought aloud as she looked around.

She wore a long, slim blue dress that came to her knees. It had a small slit on the bottom each side. She wore a silver necklace with a saphhire in the middle and cobalt shoes. Her hair was up in a split ponytail, held up by a long blue ribbon. Mushra's eyes widened when he saw her, but he quickly regained his normal expression with a fun smile.

"Well let's join in!" Binka advocated.

"Yeah," Esty chimed in, "I wanna dance, too." She wore a pink dress like Binka's and wore a little princess crown on top of her head. She wore a tiny pair of pink gloves on her paws.

"Well let's go!" Everyone headed out to the dance floor as another song started to play through the loud speakers spread throughout the room. It was time to have some much deserved fun.

**The next chapter/section is longest and I'm still working on it right now.**


	3. Stranger on The Balcony

**A few songs, dances, and raids on the buffet table later.**

Mushra sipped his glass of punch slowly as he watched Yakumo, Binka, and Saago over the rim of his cup. A slow song, In the Arms of an Angel, was playing above all the noise. He watched Yakumo and Saago dance to the music.

"_As friends of course." _He thought to himself as he watched them circle each other to the sad sound of the song. _"She probably wishes Mushrambo had his own body so she could dance with _him_, instead of other guys." _

Saago sneezed, lost balance, tripped and stumbled backwards. He caught himself and Yakumo giggled. He smiled as Binka tapped Saago on the shoulder and looked at him with an expectant look. Saago smiled and gave Yakumo's hand to Binka. The two girls danced to the music, hand in hand.

"_She really is like a mother to her. It's so easy to see why everyone loves her; why I love her." _He caught himself with this thought.

He frowned at his cup, shaking his head as if to get rid of the thought. He sighed and turned around to throw away the cup, that's when something past two glass double-doors caught his eye. He tossed the cup in the garbage can and headed toward the door.

Past the glass was a balcony decorated in ribbon and streamer. The above was a star-filled sky. A full moon shone from above, the face seeming to look down on the building in silent observation. There was a small, metal table in one corner. Pushed up against it was a patching chair with a swirling pattern on the back. That's not what caught his eye was not the decoration, the night sky, or even the slice of cake and cup on top of the table.

What caught his eye was a girl leaning on the railing, looking up at the moon. One of her slender arms rested on the railing and the other supported her head as she looked up at the stars. She had long, onyx-black hair that fell over one shoulder in gentle waves. The moon shone of her skin, making it a vibrant pale color, as if it were made of the moon's light. She wore a long, emerald dress that came above her ankles. At the waist, the skirt of the dress spread out a bit, but was still slim. The back straps crisscrossed over her shoulder blades in a large X. There was a green ribbon tied around her neck and made a bow in the back, the extra ribbon falling down her back to her waist.

Mushra, curious, opened one of the doors and slipped out, closing it gently behind him. The girl was so entranced with the sky, she didn't hear him. As he neared, he caught a glance at her emerald eyes. There seemed to be something –Sadness? Longing? Or maybe just a daydream?- hidden behind the green orbs.

He slowly made his way to the railing, at least four feet from where she was. He didn't want to startle her. He leaned over and looked at the sky, as if she weren't there. He was quiet for a moment, collecting his words into manageable sentences. He glanced over at her. She was still looking at the sky, but something new seemed to be in her eyes.

"_Annoyance maybe?" _He asked himself _"Hopefully, not."_

"Why aren't you in there, dancing with the others?" He inquired, so suddenly, he startled himself. There was extensive pause.

"Shouldn't I ask the same of you?" She challenged, scorn in her voice.

"Sorry, didn't mean to bother you." He said, backing up from her anger.

"You saw me out here, why'd you come?" her emerald eyes burned with built up frustration.

"I was curious." He admitted, "Is that a crime?!" this last part was said with exasperation.

She seemed shocked by his sudden change in attitude. Without another word, she smiled, looking at him with a new friendliness that seemed alien to the tense atmosphere a split second before.

"You're not from around here, are you?"

"Uh." He was taken aback by her sudden mood swing.

"You're not. Are you?" She answered for him with a happier tone of voice.

"No. My friends and I are just passing though." He said, with a careful look at the girl before him.

"You're travelers then?" Mushra nodded. "Wow. I wish I could travel. I'm stuck in this stuffy town." She waved out toward the town impassively.

"_What's with the mood swing? Is she bipolar?" _She saw the puzzled look on his face.

"Sorry about before. I was in a bad mood. I realized a little late that I shouldn't take it out on you. Sorry" She clapped her hands together above her head and bowed slightly in apology.

"Uh. . . It's okay."

Suddenly, she stood up and outstretched her hand. Her emerald bracelets jingled with the sudden movement.

"I'm Kikomei."

He took her hand, and pushing her previous attitude behind his mind, he replied, "My name's Mushra."

**Almost . . . done . . .!!!**


	4. The Dance

**Just had to go back and redo some sentences. Since this part was written at 11:00pm, I understand why. (A tired me can't re-read things well)**

"So why are you out here alone?" Mushra asked. The two had turned back to the sky and leaned on the railing. The music from inside could be heard along with the buzz of conversation and fun. Kikomei sighed.

"I had to get away from it for a while; the noise and the crowd."

"That's what the party's for, isn't it?" He asked, his voice full of thoughtfulness.

"Well, sometime's it can be a little much." She glanced downward.

"Oh, I see." He smiled at her. "And it _is _peaceful out here, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It's a nice place to think."

They stared out at the sky for a while longer in silence.

"So where are you traveling?" Her voice seemed as if her mind was somewhere else completely.

"We're trying to reach a place called Shinzo." He replied. "It's to the west."

"Isn't Shinzo a made-up place?" she recalled.

"That's what I hope we can disprove."

"It must've been a long journey."

"Yeah. It was hard, and a lot of people tried to stop us, but we managed. I fought some really tough battles with my friends. At some points, I wasn't sure we would survive, but I kept going," he paused for a moment then continued, "to protect my those precious to me.." He smiled, thinking of what great friends he managed to gain in life.

"It sounds like you had quite an adventure." She observed. "I want to go on an adventure when I'm older. I want to travel the world and have lots of fun, but I don't see that happening soon."

Mushra looked up at her with a question in his sky orbs. "Why not?"

"Oh, it's noth-" She stopped in mid-sentence.

"What is-" she held her hand up, motioning him to be quiet. He listened with her, but the only thing he heard was the beginning of a new song from inside.

"The DJ just said my favorite song. It's coming on next." She beamed happily.

"What is it?" Mushra asked, forgetting his question from earlier completely.

"It's an _old_ song from the human times, but I _love _it. It's Your Guardian Angel by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus." The tune began to play from inside. Kikomei smiled softly and hummed along, swaying back and forth slightly.

Mushra smiled at her happiness. Then an idea struck him. He bowed and offered his hand.

"Would you like to dance?"

Her eyes widened a bit, but she smiled and took his hand.

"Of course."

The two danced slowly to the music, bathed in the moonlight. No one was around, but the moon to see the two dancing softly to the song.

_Cause you're my, you're my, my-y-y,_

_My true love_

_My whole heart_

_Please don't throw that away_

_Cause I'm here for you_

_Please don't walk away_

_Please tell me you'll stay, stay_

_Use me as your own_

_Pull my strings just for a thrill_

_And I know I'll be okay_

_Though skies are turning gray_

_I will never let you fall_

_I'll stand up with you forever_

_I'll be there for you through it all_

_Even if savin' you sends me to heaven_

The song ended and the two bowed to each other with smiles on their faces.

**Next is the last chapter, but I HAVE to go to bed now. Idk if you like the song, airiko, but I was listening to it toward the end (or the whole week actually)**


	5. Everyone Gets a Second Chance

**LAST CHAPTER!!!! MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHABBQHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!**

**Hikari: She's finally lost it.**

"I wonder how everyone's acting when they realize I'm not there." Kekomei sighed and took another sip from her cup.

She and Mushra had danced to a couple more songs, and then decided to eat some cake from the snack table. Mushra had snuck back in without being noticed and got himself a piece of cake and two cups of punch. When he sat down outside at the table, she still hadn't taken a bite of her cake.

"They probably miss you. I know my friends are probably trying to keep an eye out for me. Is something wrong with your cake?"

"Ahh? No, I'm just thinking." She picked up her fork and took a bite of her cake. "You must have some good friends."

"I thought yours were worried about you?" he looked up at her with a questioning glance.

"The one good friend I have is working as a maid in the kitchen tonight. I don't even get to talk to her."

"Wow, that's tough." He stood up to toss his plate and cup in the bin on the other side of the balcony.

"It is. It's so hard to be find time to spend when both of your schedules conflict. I wish I could have fun with her like we used to. Other than her, she's my only true friend."

Mushra dumped the trash and looked at her. He felt sympathy for this girl, who couldn't even spend time with her best friend. Another idea came to him. He came back to the table, with the rose from his pocket in hand. He bowed and offered it out to her carefully.

"What's this?" She gasped.

"It looks like rose to me."

She raised an eyebrow at the sarcastic remark and replied with her own, "I know _that_, but what's it _for?_"

"A token of friendship." His warm smile brought an unexpected blush from the emerald-eyed girl.

With a smile of her own, she took it gently from his hands. She turned the flower over slowly between her fingers, while gently feeling the soft, red petals.

"Th-thank you." She said with a sweet smile of her own.

"Glad you like it."

"It's wonderful."

Mushra grinned widely and sat back down. He watched her observe the flower in the moonlight with a small smile on her lips.

Both of them turned to look when they heard the double doors open. A tall, strong man walked out, followed by to women.

"It's time." He said with a deep, stern voice. He had a kind smile on his lips that didn't match his voice, but he seemed amiable.

"Oh! It's that time already?" Kikomei stood up carefully. Turning to Mushra, she gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I have to go. I have something to do" she turned to the three adults "I'll be there." She told them. They went back inside after a nod.

"It's okay." She turned to go but he suddenly remembered something. "Wait!" ,

"What?" she turned and walked back to him.

"I forgot, how come you can't travel, I'm curious."

"I doubt my fiancé would allow it." She leaned in and pecked him on the cheek. "But don't worry about it." She turned around and hurried to catch up with the three.

"Eh?"

Mushra's face had turned as red as his Hyper Form armor and he had a mix of shock and confusion on his face. Before he had time to respond, the door opened again and Binka walked out.

"There you are!" she exclaimed. "Kutall said he _thought _he saw you at the snack, but he was busy getting another piece of - Mushra? Are you okay?" Her eyes held concern.

"Uh- yeah."

"Good. Now hurry up!" she grabbed his arm and started dragging him back inside. "Something big is about to happen?"

"What is it?" He temporarily forgot about the kiss on the cheek from Kikomei and looked around curiously. The crowd had all gathered near the front of the room, where the DJ had been on the stage.

"They didn't say." She yelled above the noise of the crowd.

They pushed through the crowd to the front where the others were waiting.

"You found him!" Yakumo smiled.

"We looked everywhere for you." Saago complained.

"Hush!" Rei and Sen said simultaneously. "Something's happening on stage!"

Mushra turned his attention toward the stage. The man who had called Kikomei earlier stood there. Behind him, in dimmer light was a group of guys ranging from age 16 to 19. Walking up on the stage was Kikomei. The lights shone brightly on her green dress and she smiled, looking down into her hands, which held Mushra's rose.

"Th-that's-" he was cut off when Kutall hushed him. The man on stage began speaking.

"Today, we celebrate my daughter, Kikomei Ayumu's, sixteenth birthday. Today, she leaves behind her childhood to become a wonderful woman."

"So she's the daughter." Mushra whispered to himself.

"Like all women in our family, she will choose a husband to continue or family that goes back to the time of the first Enterrans." There was a cheer from the crowd that died down when he began to speak again. "Behind me are fifteen young men who have offered their hand. My daughter had had two months to get to know these nice young men, now she must make a decision."

Here Mr. Ayumu stepped back. Kikomei took his spot and looked up at the crowd, a confident, happy smile spread across her face. Mushra smiled at her self-confidence.

"Tonight, I am turning into an adult, as is the tradition in my family. I'm the only daughter of the main branch, so a lot rests on my shoulders. I'll admit, it was overwhelming to think about, but I wanted to make my family proud."

"I spent two long months trying to figure out which of these guys I could actually stand to be around." There were a couple of hushed giggles in the crowd. They quieted down and she continued.

"I finally chose which would be the best for me, but I still didn't like my decision. I knew I would probably be some trophy wife for the man I did choose, but I needed to do what I needed to do." She glanced back at the shocked group of men behind her. She turned back to the crowd with a sad smile.

"But something special happened tonight." A determined look burned in her eyes. "I believe out family's guardian is looking out for me. They've sent me a chance to be happy and I'm going to go for it. The man I will accept as my fiancé is none of the men here." There was a startled gasp behind her and hushed whispers from the crowd.

"Mushra, would you marry me?"

"WHAT?!" Mushra's friends had all managed to yell at the top of their lungs. Everyone turned to the source of the outburst.

"Uh. . ." Before he could respond, the women from before had grabbed him by the arm and led him to the stage where Kekomei greeted him.

"If you don't want to, you don't have to accept." She began hurriedly with a blush on her face. "I would understand if you already had a girlfriend or something like that." Mr. Ayumo stepped up.

"Well this is unexpected, but if you're the one she likes, I'm okay with it. What's your answer.

"_Okaaay?" _Mushra thought._ "This is . . . unexpected." _

He looked at Kikomei again. She had beautiful black hair and sparkling emerald eyes. Her cheeks were tinted pink with a blush. She waited anxiously for his answer.

"_She _is _beautiful, and she has a really good personality. She has a cute smile and great personality, even with the mood swings." _

Nervously, she spoke quickly. "Just so you know, I'm not doing this just for the chance to travel. I really like you, even though I only met you a little bit ago, and even if you don't like me like that. If you give me a chance, with time, I mi-" she stopped when Mushra looked her in the eye. Her face flushed a deeper shade of pink.

"So?" her father asked. Mushra smiled at the girl before him.

"_I guess everyone gets a second chance. It's just some pass them up."_

"Yes." Kikomei's eyes grew as large as saucers.

"Really?!" There were tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

"Would I lie about something like this?" She smiled even wider that before.

"Thank you!" She jumped toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck. A round of applause and cheers broke out from the crowd. "Thank you, for giving me a chance.

"In a way, we both gave each other a chance." With a quick movement, he pecked her on the cheek, blushing as he did so. Another round of cheers erupted from the mass of Enterrans.

**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

"Well, Dad, I'm off." After all the commotion had settled down and they had spent a night at Kikomei's house, the group was ready to set off toward Shinzo, with one new member. She turned to the brown-haired girl who stood next to her father.

"I'm sorry to leave, Rebekah, but you can have my room and all my clothes I left in my closet. You'll even get what I would be getting as allowance.

"I still don't want to see you go." She said, a tear in her eye.

"I promise I'll come back to see you, but you have to finish school."

"Kay."

The two girls hugged.

"Be good okay?"

"You too."

They broke apart. With a wave, Kikomei turned to catch up with the others who were a few yard ahead of her. She jumped-tackled Mushra, who almost fell over. She laughed and helped him catch his balance.

Mr. Ayumu and Rebekah watched them walk off toward the horizon, hopefully toward Shinzo, and definitely toward another great adventure.

**DONE!!! Even though I ****finished**** the day after, I'm proud of myself for working so hard on it. I know I probably have some mistakes, but all my writings do. One day I'll go back and correct everything I've ever written. That'll be the day I am so bored that I'm about to rip my hair out.**

**For some reason I'm putting this.**

**The songs I listened to **_**while**_** writing this and actually **_**inspired**_** me.**

**First chapter (mushra's memory and thoughts): Welcome to my Life – simple plan **_**(I'm actually planning to make a Shinzo video to this when I get the proper tools. It fits Mushra.)**_

**Scene on Balcony: Your Guardian Angel – Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (I've been listening to this all week, and I'm planning a Shinzo vid to this.)**

**I hope you enjoyed it!**


End file.
